31 Januari 2014

RTAF F-16 MLU Roll Out Ceremony

31 Januari 2014

F-16A/B MLU roll out ceremony (all photos : TAF)On 24 January Thai Aviation Industry Company Ltd. or TAI and Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Air Force and Air Force Thailand held Ceremony launches first F-16AM/BM 2 of 18 machines through the Mid-Life Upgrade MLU at the Technical Services Department of TAI Office. In the ceremony, the ACM Sarit Pong Kota gladness Deputy Air Commander as Represented the Chief of Air of Thailand, HE Kristie Kenney U.S. Ambassador to Thailand as representatives from the U.S., Air Vice Rochard C. Johnston, Assistant Deputy Minister of the Air Force (Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of The Air Force) is representatives of the U.S. Air Force, The TAI and Lockheed Martin company officials, including officers of the Air Force attended the ceremony.

Inside the ceremony, Ambassador Kristie Kenney said, "I feel proud that the United States has partnered with Lockheed Martin and TAI by improvements made F-16 Air Force Thailand to step up to world level and meets the top fighter of the ASEAN countries, NATO and the U.S. Air Force. This is an exciting partnership and increase the ability to work together with the U.S. in all areas throughout the world to make people's lives more secure, whether in Asia or in other areas around the world, this is what we are proud to".

The Air Vice Rochard C. Johnston said, "The Improved F-16 Air Force in Thailand will increase the capacity of the Thailand Air Force, Sniper, and with Link 16 bulbous helmet mounted sight JHMCS to make the Thailand Air Force and U.S. closer to F-16 series will have the ability to exercise global Thailand hosted Cobra Gold and Cope Tiger include being a key Thailand Air Force to continue ".On the one Air Chief Marshal Sarit Pong Kota gladness love, said, "This is the pride of Thailand, because of the aviation industry, we have progressed to the next level because the engineers on this project in Thailand. There are only advisory and project control, only the engineers from Lockheed Martin project is a major project to improve the F-16 Block 15 to the modern equivalent of Block 50, in particular systems Datalink radar systems, self-protection to have more efficient newly installed radar detector that is the radial distance up ".

Improvement of the half-life of F-16A/B Block 15 OCU Squadron 403 as a standard F-16AM/BM eMLU (enhance Mid-Life Upgrade) is divided into three phases: the first phase since 2011-2013. Phase 2 and Phase 3 from the year 2013 to 2015 from the year 2015 to 2017 period by 6-by F-16 and first updated in 2011 ago by the update will replace old equipment with new modern equipment. as :-Radar system AN/APG-68 (V) 9 of the Northrop Grumman,-AN/APX-113 Combined Interrogator and Transponder Division of BAE Systems,-Electronic Warfare Management Systems is a company Terma AN/ALQ-213,-AN/ALE-47 Airborne Countermeasures Dispenser System of BAE Systems to design and change the display of the cockpit,-Shift lever pilot Installation of Link 16 tactical data exchange system, which is connected to the Air Command and Control System, or Air Force ACCS Thailand, -and procurement of weapons systems, such as Hat flying mount sight with Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) of Boeing, - a Sniper pod of Lockheed Martin, - as well as weapon systems, air to air missile : medium-range air-to-air AIM-120C-5 AMRAAM and rockets. - IRIS-T and laser and satellite guided bombs which will be supplying the next regard Air Force will continue to improve the F-16A/B and 17 vessels of squadron 403 and led to the replacement of squadron 103 had been stationed in a herd of 403 to 1 ships, including 18 aircraft and will maintain F-16A/B Block 15 OCU in the squadron of 103. Next to start the project, including preparation of replacement fighter F-16A/B ADF are to disband in no time.(TAF)